Visa for visiting St. Petersburg

[Maria Paz]

I plan to take a Baltic cruise on Silverseas in August/September and want updated information on Russian visa requirements.

Can I book an independent tour operator who will secure me a visa or entry permit to tour St. Petersburg? Who would be a reliable tour operator?

Is it true that the cruise ship - Silver Whisper - may prevent me from disembarking if I do not book the St. Petersburg tours with them?

[katie31]

We did a Baltic Cruise last year with Oceania and were in St Petersburgh for 3 nights. We booked thru an outside operator called SPT tours. They were excellent and we had not problem. I think you will find there are several posts about this company elsewhere in CC. Hope that helps

[ppiew]

I booked with an independent (Red October) when in St Pete last year. no Visa was necessary for me however, the coverage the independents carry does NOT allow you to go roaming the city on your own. You must be with the tour operator at every location.

[bogey]

We booked an excellent two day tour through Alla Tours. Their ticket served as a visa. Several other companies offer similar tours and get excellent reviews. You might take a look at the St. Petersburg section of the ports portion of this site. Tripadvisor.com also has some excellent reviews of the various companies offering St. Petersburg shore excursions.

 

Only downside to not having a separate Russian visa in your passport is the requirement that you not leave the tour. So, if you're interested in doing anything on your own, it might be worth the expense and time to get the individual visa.

 

Some of the ship's literature may push the fact that you don't need a visa if you are on one of their tours. But that is also true if you are with one of the independent companies who advertise this service. We were among the very first off the ship (Silver Cloud) on our first morning in port, and were treated no differently than any other guests.

[spuds]

In 2006 we were in St Petersburg and we did both options, this was our first time in Russia.

 

Before leaving Canada we did get a Russian Visa to allow us flexibility to explore on our own. On our first day we arranged a private tour with Red October (highly recommended) so that we could explore a bit with the comfort of a guide. On the second day we went out on our own... we loved the ability to just go and do what we wanted to do, eat where we wanted, when we wanted. So my recommendation is to do both if you can (and if you want). We felt very comfortable exploring St Petersburg on our own. If you end up just going with a tour company for the entire trip (like Red October) then you do not have to get a Russian Visa beforehand because they are with you the whole time.

[duct tape]

The current visa app is a pain in the &$$. Where have you been in the last 10 years?!

[Guest superradiationboy]

We are practically on the same boat as you are - on Silver Whisper visiting St. Petersburg - just that we are going in June this year.

 

I have been debating between getting a visa or just go with a locally organized tour (not from Silversea). In the end we booked with Alla.

 

Since we are a group of 5, I bet if we are going somewhere not within walking distance, we would probably need to split up and get two taxis/cars (and hope the wait is not too long). Been there, done that before in some other parts of the world, this can be very annoying. We need a bigger vehicle with a driver, be able to go where we want and have a dinner at l'Europe, on top of the main attractions. Alla arranged us everything including the restaurant reservation. I hope everything goes smoothly. :)

 

Hope your trip goes smoothly too, whichever way you choose at the end. :)

[wripro]

Alla is one of the best. You should have a great time.

[spuds]

The current visa app is a pain in the &$$. Where have you been in the last 10 years?!

 

I have been in Canada the last 10 years... Unless something has changed I did not find getting a Russian Visa anymore 'painful' then getting a Chinese Visa last year. It's all part of travelling and we found the experience of exploring on our own worth it... it's not something everyone has the opportunity to do.